Briefing

The Pennsylvania Game Commission announced it will stock 101,800 ring-necked pheasants on public hunting lands for the upcoming small game seasons.

Stockings will begin Oct. 5, when the commission releases 15,000 birds (7,420 males and 7,580 females) for the youth-only pheasant season scheduled for Oct 7-13. A listing of stocking locations for the youth hunt can be found on pages 26-28 of the 2006-07 Pennsylvania Digest of Hunting and Trapping Regulations, which is provided to each license buyer.

The regular pheasant season will be held Oct. 21-Nov. 25. The commission will release 50 percent of the regular-season allocation prior to the start of the season, starting Oct. 18. The first in-season stockings, which includes 25 percent of the allocation, will take place Oct. 25-27, while the final 25 percent of the birds will be stocked from Nov. 7-9.

The commission has traditionally raised 200,000 pheasants for stocking each year, but that number was cut in half in 2004 due to budgetary constraints. Over the past three years, the commission said the reduction has saved $1.1 million.

Because of the reductions, the commission decided to provide additional details about pheasant stockings, including county-specific charts showing public lands to be stocked, how many birds will be stocked and a three-day window for stocking times.

Pheasant stocking details are available online at www.pgc.state.pa.us. From the home page, click on "hunting," click on the picture of the pheasant and then click on "pheasant allocation."

PPL TO HOST TRAIL WALK ALONG DELAWARE RIVER

PPL Corp.'s Martins Creek Environmental Preserve will host a guided hike on its Tekening Trail System from 1:30-3 p.m. Saturday.

Local teacher and naturalist Roxanne Kaiser-Antonowich will lead the walk through an area of woodlands the Lenni Lenape Indians called "Tekening," which means "in the wood."

Participants will find out how the forces of nature shaped this spectacular meeting of land and water.

The free program is suitable for all ages and will begin at the pavilion on DePues Ferry/Foul Rift Road. Registration is required by calling 570-251-6196 or e-mailing pplpreserves@pplweb.com.

OPEN HOUSE TO EXPLAIN DEER HARVEST CALCULATIONS

The Pennsylvania Game Commission will host an open house at its Harrisburg headquarters this Thursday to explain methods for calculating its official deer harvest estimates.

The open house will take place from 11 a.m.-8 p.m., with a new session starting roughly every 90 minutes.

In addition to a 30-minute presentation on the deer harvest estimating process, members of the agency's Deer Management Section will be on hand to answer questions. Visitors also will have an opportunity to search computer records to find their deer harvest report among the more than 136,000 report cards received by the agency for last season.

All report cards will be on display on the stage in the auditorium. Other displays will focus on the scientific support for the Game Commission's deer harvest estimating process, how to properly determine the age of a deer based on examination of the jaw and teeth, why the agency uses deer harvest estimates instead of check stations and a map showing the field data collection process the agency uses to support its deer harvest estimates.

The commission's headquarters are at 2001 Elmerton Ave., just off the Progress Ave. exit of Interstate 81.